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A12 science
Monday 28 deceMber 2020

‘Believe in science’: EU kicks off COVID-19 vaccine campaign

By NICOLE WINFIELD accounts for around a third she insisted. ain, Canada and the Unit- got shots Sunday to pro-
Associated Press of the dead in Italy, which In the Los Olmos nursing ed States kicked off their mote a wider acceptance
ROME (AP) — Doctors, nurs- has the continent’s worst home in the Spanish city inoculation programs with of vaccinations was Bulgar-
es and the elderly rolled confirmed virus death toll of Guadalajara, northeast the same vaccine weeks ian Health Minister Kostadin
up their sleeves across the at nearly 72,000. of Madrid, 96-year-old resi- earlier. Angelov. “I can’t wait to
European Union to receive see my 70-year-old father
the first doses of the coro- without fear that I could in-
navirus vaccine Sunday in fect him,” Angelov said.
a symbolic show of unity After he got his shot, Greek
and moment of hope for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mit-
a continent confronting its sotakis declared Sunday “a
worst health care crisis in a great day for science and
century. the European Union.”
Weeks after the U.S., Can- “We hope that, with time,
ada and Britain began in- even those of our fellow
oculations with the same citizens who are suspicious
vaccine, the 27-nation of vaccination will be con-
bloc staged a coordinated vinced it is the right thing to
rollout aimed at projecting do,” he said.
a unified message that the Meanwhile, a new vi-
shot was safe and Europe’s rus variant that has been
best chance to emerge spreading rapidly around
from the pandemic. London and southern Eng-
For health care workers land has now been detect-
who have been battling ed in France, Italy, Spain,
the virus with only masks Canada and Japan. The
and shields to protect new variant, which Brit-
themselves, the vaccines Andreas Raounas, 84, the first patient in Island receives from a nurse the vaccine of Pfizer BioNtech ish authorities said is much
represented an emotional against the COVID-19, at a care home in Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. more easily transmitted,
relief as the virus continues Associated Press has prompted many coun-
to kill. But it was also a pub- tries to restrict travel from
lic chance for them to urge “Today is a beautiful, sym- dent Araceli Hidalgo and As it turned out, some EU im- Britain.
Europe’s 450 million people bolic day: All the citizens of a caregiver were the first munizations began a day Japan announced it would
to get the shots amid con- Europe together are start- Spaniards to receive the early in Germany, Hungary temporarily ban all non-
tinued vaccine and virus ing to get their vaccina- vaccine. and Slovakia. The operator resident foreigners from
skepticism. tions, the first ray of light af- “Let’s see if we can all be- of a German nursing home entering through Jan. 31 as
“Today I’m here as a citi- ter a long night,” Arcuri told have and make this virus where dozens were vac- a precaution against the
zen, but most of all as a reporters. go away,” Hidalgo said. cinated Saturday, includ- U.K.’s new variant.
nurse, to represent my cat- But he cautioned: “We all The Los Olmos home suf- ing a 101-year-old woman, Germany’s BioNTech has
egory and all the health have to continue to be pru- fered two confirmed CO- said “every day that we said it’s confident that its
workers who choose to be- dent, cautious and respon- VID-19 deaths and another wait is one day too many.” vaccine works against the
lieve in science,” said Clau- sible. We still have a long 11 deaths among residents In France, where many new U.K. variant, but add-
dia Alivernini, 29, the first road ahead, but finally we with symptoms who were question the safety of vac- ed that further studies are
person to be inoculated at see a bit of light.” never tested. cines, the French govern- needed.
the Spallanzani infectious The vaccine developed The Czech Republic was ment has been cautious in The European Medicines
disease hospital in Rome. by Germany’s BioNTech spared the worst of the its messaging and keen to Agency on Jan. 6 will con-
Austrian Chancellor Se- and American drugmaker pandemic in the spring ensure that it is not seen as sider approving another
bastian Kurz called the Pfizer started arriving in only to see its health care forcing vaccinations on the vaccine made by Moder-
vaccine, which was de- super-cold containers at system near collapse in public. France’s first vacci- na, which is already being
veloped in record time, a EU hospitals on Friday from the fall. In Prague, Czech nation at a nursing home in used in the United States.
“game-changer.” a factory in Belgium. Each Prime Minister Andrej Babis a poor area outside of Paris Dr. Annalisa Malara, who
“We know that today is not country was only getting a received his shot at dawn on Sunday was not broad- diagnosed Italy’s first do-
the end of the pandemic, fraction of the doses need- Sunday and asserted: cast on live television as it mestic case on Feb. 20 that
but it is the beginning of the ed — fewer than 10,000 in “There’s nothing to worry was elsewhere in Europe confirmed Europe’s out-
victory,” he said. the first batches for some about.” Sitting next to him and no government minis- break was underway, was
Italian virus czar Domenico countries — with the bigger was World War II veteran ters attended. on hand at her hospital in
Arcuri said it was signifi- rollout expected in January Emilie Repikova, who also “We didn’t need to con- Codogno to encourage all
cant that Italy’s first doses when more vaccines be- received a shot. vince her. She said ‘yes, I’m Italians to get the shot.
were administered at Spall- come available. All those Altogether, the EU’s 27 na- ready for anything to avoid “Today we close the circle
anzani, where a Chinese getting shots Sunday have tions have recorded at getting this disease,’” said a bit that was opened on
couple visiting from Wuhan to come back for a second least 16 million coronavirus Dr. Samir Tine, head of geri- Feb. 20,” she said. q
tested positive in January dose in three weeks. infections and more than atric services for the Sevran
and became Italy’s first Ursula von der Leyen, head 336,000 deaths — huge nursing home where
confirmed cases. of the European Union’s Ex- numbers that experts say France’s first shot went to
Within weeks, northern ecutive Commission, said still understate the true toll 78-year-old Mauricette.
Lombardy became the with additional vaccines of the pandemic due to “It’s an important day,”
epicenter of the outbreak in development, the EU will missed cases and limited Tine said. “We are very ea-
in Europe and a cautionary have more shots than nec- testing. ger to have a new weapon
tale of what happens when essary this year and could The vaccination campaign at our disposal and we are
even wealthy regions find share its surplus with the should ease frustrations very eager to rediscover
themselves unprepared for western Balkans and Africa. that were building up, es- our normal lives.”
a pandemic. Lombardy still “Europe is well positioned,” pecially in Germany, as Brit- Among the politicians who